CHENNAI: Ever wanted a book filled with bits of life-altering words and surprises? Diya — A megawatt Approach to Change is one such book that will change the way you think, speak and act. “These are imprints of my life and incidents which have been compiled into a book for the betterment of society,” says Aruna Gurumurthy, author of Diya.
Excited about authoring a book for the first time, Aruna launched Diya at Folly, Amethyst. In conversation with Sanjay Rao Chaganti, a ‘happiness catalyst,’ she confided how incidents, both positive and negative, played a role in shaping her book.
“As a child, everyone has moments in which they are cornered by negativity. As a child, I faced a lot of negative comments, and they make an impact while growing up,” she shares.
Growing up in Mumbai and having lived in different parts of India, Aruna reminisced the years she spent in Chennai. “I used to visit Chennai every summer break and lived here from 1992 to 1997. The beach and sand castles are some things that are still fresh in my mind,” she says.
Her book is a bigger and better version of her 300-odd Facebook posts since 2008.
“I realised how anyone can express views on Facebook and I started writing posts from my daily experiences. I would choose an incident and develop it into something that is relatable to society,” she shares, adding that she never thought she would become an author.
Crediting the turn of events to her close friend and editor of her book, Abhirami Sriram, Aruna said, “Segments of my thoughts became an in-depth analysis. They were a reflection of myself and Abhi asked me to publish it.”
The self-published author who took three months to compile, write, shape and publish her work, says the book was about change that and had to be shared with society.
“There is racism, fear and anger in the world and people need a way to grow and make themselves better, happier and more satisfied. Being a science student and a medical researcher, the title of the book was an intuitive decision,” she says.
Aruna is passionate about female literacy, the education of slum children, the elderly with Alzheimer’s, young adults with learning disabilities, and the emancipation of teenagers who are school dropouts.
“This is a call out to read the book. It has solutions to many puzzles and riddles that we fail to understand. It cuts across all cultures and talks only about human tendencies and behaviour,” she says.
Is she planning to write another book? “I am a spontaneous person and don’t have any plans right now. Time will take its course,” says Aruna, adding that the book received good reviews from the US.
She adds that her goal is to achieve world peace. “Indians should understand that there is a thought process like this and should be aware of the changes one can make in life,” she says.